Human rights complaint filed after Muslim-Indigenous man in B.C. denied bank account using status card

When Sharif Bhamji, 37, completed the online portion of a Toronto Dominion Bank account application, he thought the process had gone smoothly.

That changed four days later on May 5, 2021, when he appeared in person at the TD branch near his Surrey residence to verify his identity. When he presented his Indian status card, he alleges the teller told him the ID was fake.

After he became agitated with the bank teller, they called police. 

Now, Bhamji is filing a discrimination complaint against the bank with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Bhamji, who identifies as Muslim-Indigenous, says the teller asked if