The Government of West Bengal, Forensic Science Laboratory, has just published a job notice dated 10th September 2025. At first glance, it looks like an opportunity for employment—6 Data Entry Operators and 9 Photographers on a contractual basis.
But when you actually read the details, it feels less like a job offer and more like a slap in the face of educated, skilled professionals.
Data Entry Operator
₹16,000 per month
Photographer
₹17,000 per month
Yes, that's the "reward" for your degree, your technical skills, your years of experience.
₹16,000 today is barely enough to survive in a city like Kolkata. Rent, food, transport, healthcare—forget savings, you'll struggle to even breathe on this amount.
The notice reads like a cruel joke.
For Data Entry Operators:
- Graduation + Computer Application certificate
- Proficiency in MS Office, Word, Excel
- Typing speed of 30+ words per minute with 90% accuracy
- Knowledge of hardware + application development (preferable)
All this for ₹16,000?
For Photographers:
- Science degree or Matriculation + Diploma in Photography
- At least 2 years of practical experience in photography techniques
- Ability to handle various specialized branches of photography
All this for ₹17,000?
This isn't a job description. It's an exploitation manual.
Adding salt to the wound, these aren't permanent jobs. They're contractual. That means:
- No job security
- No pension
- No health benefits
- No long-term stability
You give them your skills, but they treat you like a disposable cog—replaceable anytime, anywhere.
The government lectures private companies on fair wages, yet here it is, offering salaries lower than what many gig workers and delivery agents make in the same city.
Let's be brutally honest:
- ₹16,000 is not a salary. It's pocket change for the workload expected.
- ₹17,000 for photographers with diplomas and experience? That's daylight robbery.
And remember, these are roles supporting forensic science—the backbone of criminal investigations and justice delivery. By underpaying them, the government is undermining the justice system itself.
This job notice is not an opportunity. It's an insult.
It tells skilled workers: "We need your expertise, but we won't respect it."
It tells young graduates: "Your years of study mean nothing; we'll throw you scraps."
And it tells society: "Justice can wait—cheap labor comes first."
A Call to Action
- Skilled workers must stop accepting such humiliating offers.
- Civil society must call out this institutionalized exploitation.
- The government must raise wages and make these posts permanent, if it truly values forensic science and justice.
Until then, let's call this notice what it really is: A cruel joke at the expense of hardworking professionals.
