Ankit clothes came in contact with fire, and within seconds, he was caught in flames. (Representational)

A youth suffered heavy burns after his clothes accidentally caught fire during a Ram Leela performance in Muzaffarnagar's Rampuri area on Monday.

According to reports, the incident took place in the wee hours of the day when Ankit, who was playing the role of Tadaka, a mythological demoness from Ramayana, started spraying off kerosene from his mouth to create a bust of flames.

His clothes came in contact with fire, and within seconds, Ankit was caught in flames.

The people near the stage immediately rushed to rescue him and doused the flames, but Ankit had already suffered 60 per cent burns by then.

He was rushed to a hospital where his condition was stated to be critical. He was later referred to Meerut for advanced treatment.