US secretary of state Antony Blinken has urged India to cooperate with an investigation into the assassination of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

Tensions remain high over allegations of Indian government involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India has dismissed the claims as “absurd”.

Mr Nijjar, a 45-year-old Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on 18 June.

He was one of the key members of the Khalistan movement and was organising an unofficial referendum on a proposed independent Sikh state.

Mr Blinken and Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met on Thursday as the US tries to navigate the dispute between its neighbour and the South Asian country critical to its strategy to counter China’s rising influence in the region.

Neither man addressed the controversy in brief comments to reporters, but a US official said the topic had been raised.

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The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr Blinken had encouraged India to cooperate with the Canadian probe.

“We have consistently engaged with the Indian government on this question and have urged them to cooperate,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters ahead of the meeting.

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Earlier on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had been told Mr Blinken would address the matter and encourage India to cooperate.

“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,” Mr 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.

US officials have acknowledged the fallout from the allegations could have a profound impact on relations with India but have been careful not to cast blame.

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