"Despite knowing she had bright future, Gitasree took great risk by daring to protest in public at the convocation. She should be lauded and given due respect," Chowdhury told reporters after a meeting at Belpahari in Jhargram sub-division here.
Chowdhury, who was referring to the Bengali stream topper who refused to take the citation on the convocation stage to protest police crackdown on JU students on September 16 night, observed he was speaking both as an ordinary citizen as well as politician.
Chowdhury, the former union minister, also alleged the Narendra Modi government failed to contain terrorism in the country as evident in the Chhatisgarh killing by Maoists and massacre of women and children in Assam.