US embassy trashes reports on Garcetti alerting team about India-Canada row

The US embassy on Thursday trashed reports that American Ambassador Eric Garcetti alerted his team about possible impact of New Delhi's diplomatic spat with Ottawa on India-US relations.

American media outlet The Politico reported that Garcetti also has said the US may need to reduce its contacts with Indian officials for an undefined period of time.

"The US embassy dismisses these reports. Ambassador Garcetti is working hard every day to deepen the partnership between the people and governments of the United States and India," a US embassy spokesperson said, when asked about the report.

"As his personal engagement and public schedule demonstrates, Ambassador Garcetti and the US Mission to India are working every day to advance the important, strategic, and consequential partnership we have with India," the spokesperson said.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.

India rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case.

The Politico, quoting an unnamed official, said "Garcetti has told his in-country team that, because of the diplomatic spat with Canada, relations between India and the US could get worse for a time."

Garcetti also has said the US may need to reduce its contacts with Indian officials for an undefined period of time, it reported.

The White House said on Tuesday that Canada's allegations regarding India's involvement in the killing of the separatist are "serious" and need to be investigated fully.