Several Miss Universe Indonesia candidates have registered police complaints accusing organisers of sexual abuse, reports BBC.

According to the complaints, the contestants were asked to take off their tops for "body checks" and photographs two days before the finals on 3 August.

"I feel that my rights have been violated," one of the contestants said.

"It has affected me mentally. I have had trouble sleeping," she said, speaking to the media, alongside other complainants, earlier this week. Local television blurred their faces in the broadcasts to protect their identities.

Mellisa Anggraeni, a lawyer who represents three of the contestants who complained, said many others will come forward.

Police in capital Jakarta issued a statement saying they would investigate further.

The Miss Universe Indonesia Organisation will investigate the allegations, its owner celebrity Poppy Capella said in a statement.

The global Miss Universe Organisation also said it was looking into the matter and that it takes allegations of sexual impropriety "very seriously".

Miss Universe, which is now on its 73rd edition, is popular in South-east Asia, especially in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, where winners go on to become celebrities and social media influencers.

Its owner Anne Jakrajutatip a Thai transgender woman and media mogul, who has sought to revamp the brand to make it more inclusive by allowing married women, transgender women and single mothers to compete.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul