A leaked audio recording, confirmed authentic by the BBC, indicates that former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina personally instructed security forces to “shoot” students during the mass protests of July–August 2024. The demonstrations, triggered by demands for reform in the civil service quota system, escalated into a nationwide movement. Associated reports suggest this marks the deadliest crackdown in Bangladesh since its 1971 War of Independence, with an estimated 1,400 people killed, many of them students. Investigations also reveal allegations of helicopter-based firings, including claims involving children, though authorities have denied these. The leaked phone call captures Hasina authorizing the use of lethal weapons against protesters, stating: “Wherever they find [them], they will shoot. A UN fact-finding mission by OHCHR, covering the protests, determined that approximately 75% of the deathswere caused by firearms, many with military-grade weapons, signifying a "disproportionate" state response. This revelation adds to mounting international criticism over Bangladesh’s suppression of dissent. The emerging picture is of a government willing to use extreme force against unarmed civilians to silence protests, raising serious human rights and democratic governance concerns.