Union minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan has demanded a judicial probe over the alleged starvation death of Joba Manjhi, a Mahadalit man in Sheikhpura district.

Citing media reports, the minister claimed that the circumstances under which Joba died on Friday indicates starvation death but the real cause can be ascertained only after a judicial probe.

Paswan added that a team from his department (consumer affairs, food and public distribution) will visit Sheikhpura to find out whether Manjhi was a beneficiary of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and the duration which he received free foodgrain.

Even Paswan's colleague in the NDA and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has been raising the starvation death issue of Joba.

In the Assembly on Monday, BJP members led by Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar raised the issue, demanding a high-level probe into the alleged starvation death. However, the government kept mum on the issue.

Later, chief minister Nitish Kumar, ruling out any starvation theory behind Joba's death, said the man had died of illness.

Nitish said: "According to Sheikhpura district administration report, Joba died due to cirrhosis of liver and cardiac arrest."

The chef minister added that Joba was a beneficiary of the AAY and old-age pension. The last time Joba collected grains (wheat and rice) was in January. Under the AAY, every beneficiary is entitled to get 35kg of grains (wheat and rice).

However, Paswan, a Dalit leader representing the Hajipur parliament constituency, claimed that the Grand Alliance government led by Nitish has "failed to implement the food security programme to ensure foodgrain to the poorest of the poor" in the state.

Paswan said: "The state government launched the Food Security Act in haste without doing necessary preparations and the Bihar government has failed to implement. Poor people are not getting foodgrain."

As per Food Security Act, Paswan said, foodgrain is provided to poor at the rate of Rs 2 per kg of wheat and Rs 3 per kg of rice.