Who is Vedant Patel, US spokesperson who shut down Pak reporter's question on Indian visa?

The US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Thursday shut down a Pakistani reporter's questions on India denying visa to Australian journalist Avani Dias.

Patel created history in 2022, by becoming the first Indian-American to hold the daily State Department news conference.

Born in Gujarat, Patel is a graduate from the University of California, Riverside, and previously served as an Assistant Press Secretary and Spokesperson for President Biden in The White House.

Prior to that he served as a spokesperson on the Presidential Inaugural Committee and the Biden-Harris Transition.

He also held communications positions on the Biden Campaign both in the primary and general election.

Previously, Patel worked as Communications Director to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Communications Director to Congressman Mike Honda.

Responding to the allegations that the Indian government denied Visa to Dias over her biased coverage, Patel refrained from making remarks.

"Look, the government of India can speak to its own visa policy. That is not something I am going to opine on from here," US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a news conference.

"Broadly, we have been clear with countries around the world about the integral role that a free press plays in the fabric of democracy. That is why we come up here and take questions regularly. But I will let the officials in India speak to the specific," Patel said.

(With inputs from PTI)