Blinken meets Jaishankar amid Canada-India row over Sikh leader's murder

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with India's foreign minister amid a simmering row between New Delhi and Ottawa over allegations of Indian government involvement in the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada.

Blinken and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met on Thursday at the State Department as the US tries to navigate the dispute between its northern neighbour and the South Asian partner critical to its Asia-Pacific strategy to counter China's vast influence in the region.

Neither man spoke about the controversy that has disrupted Canada-India relations in very brief comments to reporters.

US officials had said they expected the topic to be raised.

"We have consistently engaged with the Indian government on this question and have urged them to cooperate," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

But a US statement after Blinken met his Indian counterpart made no mention of Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder or of Canada as a whole.

A short State Department summary of the issues discussed in the meeting between Blinken and Jaishankar, formally called a readout, listed topics like India's G20 presidency, the creation of an India-Middle East-Europe corridor and topics like defence, space and clean energy.

Earlier on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had been told Blinken would address the matter and encourage the Indian government to cooperate with an investigation into the killing.

"The Americans have been with us in speaking to the Indian government about how important it is that they be involved in following up on the credible allegations that agents of the Indian government killed a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil," Trudeau said.

"This is something all democratic countries, all countries that respect the rule, need to take seriously, and we are moving forward in a thoughtful, responsible way anchored in the rule of law with all partners, including in our approach with the government of India," he told reporters in Montreal.

Canada asks India to cooperate

US officials have acknowledged that the fallout from the allegations, which they take seriously, could have a profound impact on relations with India but have been careful not to cast blame in the June killing of Sikh activist Nijjar, who was slain in a Vancouver suburb.

Killed by masked gunmen, Nijjar was a leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, and India had designated him a "terrorist".

India has dismissed Canada's allegations as absurd. Jaishankar, though, said on Tuesday that New Delhi has told Canada it was open to looking into any "specific" or "relevant" information it provides on the killing.

India has rejected Ottawa's claims and in turn accuses Canada of harbouring "terrorists and extremists."

Trudeau said Canada did not want to rupture ties with India but takes the matter seriously.

"As we've presented with our Indo-Pacific strategy just last year, we're very serious with about building closer ties with India," he said.

"At the same time ... we need to emphasise that India needs to work with Canada to ensure that we get the full facts on this matter."