Hasina never imagined her downfall before August 5, but India knew it, said Pinak Ranjan, former special secretary of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

Pinak Ranjan said these things in an interview given to the Indian media Indian Express.

Pinak Ranjan replied to the question that 'India knew what was happening in Bangladesh', 'Of course we knew'.

He said, but the question is whether Hasina could have imagined that she would fall.

This former ambassador of India in Dhaka said, 'I think, she (Hasina) did not think. In fact, if you stay in power for 15 years, then you will think that everything is fine.'

Pinak was the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka during 2007-09, when the 1/11 coup took place. Before that, he served as Deputy High Commissioner in Dhaka from 1999-2002.

In an interview with Indian Express' diplomatic affairs editor Shuvajit Roy, he said, 'I thought the protests would subside after the Supreme Court made the quota ratio 7 percent. More than 300 people were killed during these protests. The protesters then came back with 9-point demands. They demanded the resignation of some ministers and police commissioners, among other demands. Although why they made these (claims) is a mystery.'

'Meanwhile, Hasina certainly did not agree to dismiss her ministers, then they started rioting again. This time a very effective force supports them' - he claimed.