US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has been "engaged" in India's diplomatic row with Canada. This comes as US leaders have been working to strengthen relations with their Indian counterparts on everything from defense to semiconductors.

Blinken met Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Washington on Thursday. He has been encouraging the Indian government to cooperate in an investigation into the murder of a Sikh religious leader on Canadian soil.

In June, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot outside a temple near Vancouver. He was a Canadian citizen and a supporter of the Sikh separatist movement. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Indian government agents were involved.

Leaders in New Delhi have dismissed the accusation and stopped issuing new visas to Canadians. Both countries have expelled diplomats.

On Tuesday during an event in New York, Jaishankar said that it is not his government's "policy" to engage in such acts.

He added, "We told the Canadians saying that, look, if you have something specific, if you have something relevant, let us know. We are open to looking at it."

Jaishankar also pointed the finger at separatist forces in Canada, claiming that they have been involved in a "lot of organized crime."