Chuck Tatum, alias Kirk Douglas, would appreciate the urge. The ruthless reporter, who refused to let go of an opportunity to dig himself out of a professional hole – in the Billy Wilder classic Ace in the Hole – might even salute the enterprise, if not quite the style.

According to reports from Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch district, a special police officer and a territorial army jawan allegedly killed a mentally challenged Hindu civilian and sought to pass him off as a Lashkar-e-Taiba divisional commander, Abu Usman, from Pakistan. Noor Hussain and Abdul Majeed spotted in their victim an opportunity for a leg-up in their careers. Hussain hankered after a permanent posting, while Majeed was driven by the lure of a monetary reward. Both were ready to kill to achieve their ambitions.

Almost simultaneously, in the much warmer climes of Uttar Pradesh, five head constables ended up losing up their lives in pursuit of their professional ambitions. It emerged that these head constables had submitted themselves to running the 10 km-marathon in 90 minutes which is mandatory for becoming a sub-inspector in the state. While 100 constables fainted in the process in 10 days, five head constables actually lost their lives in running for promotion.

Between the murderous machination in Jammu & Kashmir and the suicidal submission in Uttar Pradesh lies the common impulse to climb a notch higher on the hierarchical and economic ladder, a yearning for a better life. This impulse, which informs the entire humankind, is at the heart of all progress, and of course of much human-aided destruction. Yet, even the Canadian management theorist Laurence J Peter, who famously stated that in a hierarchy people tend to rise to their level of incompetence, would be hard put to explain these two cases. While the first is an example of criminal subversion of the system, the second seems to be a case of whimsical subversion. Both are cases of failure of governance.

The first incident could have been prevented by plugging the possibility of anybody launching a solo operation, or an operation involving just a few security personnel, to eliminate an alleged terrorist. This is easier said than implemented in the embattled Himalayan heights, but a concerted effort at better and more transparent counterinsurgency systems is long overdue. The second case too cries for a systemic reform. The tragic deaths of the head constables reveal that fitness is scarcely a matter of routine for the state forces. But even as it underscores the importance of a regular fitness regimen, it also highlights the importance of pragmatic procedures for promotion.