Next-of-kin MH17 victims, whose funeral saw an altercation with the media yesterday, have come forward to rap the journalists for breaching their privacy.

Suthan Mookiah, who was at the funeral, said that media personnel were repeatedly told that the event at Nirvana Memorial Centre in Sungai Besi was a private affair.

"At Nirvana, the front door was blocked but the media entered from the back and aimed their lenses to the hearse and several family members.

"Who would't be enraged when someone, after repeatedly being told not to, decides to go ahead and immortalise the picture of a deceased beloved for the world to see, regardlles of how the family feels?

"Isn't it enough for you to see the deplorable pictures of the remains before this?" Suthan asked.

His post was shared by relative Logan Retnam who also slammed Malaysia Arlines and Nirvana for allegedly informing media of the event despite requetes for privacy.

"When we repeatedly said "No media!", this NST guy didn't take heed and he took some shots of us. Then the altercation started...

"I don't understand why the media thinks that we have to share our private moments to them. Do we owe you that?" he asked on Facebook .

He added that their Dutch relatives did not have to face this problem with the press there.

Action to be taken on relative

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar urged media practitioners not pressure the next-of-kin of victims.

He also called the family members not to behave excessively.

In the incident, New Straits Times photographer Mohd Aizuddin Akmal Saad, 29, was punched in the face by a family member of Malaysian actress Subashini Retam or Shuba Jaya, her Dutch husband Paul Goes and infant daughter Kaela.

Aizuddin later lodged a police report at the Sungai Besi Police Station.

Khalid said police would take action against the man who caused the injury.

In his report, Aizuddin said that his camera was kicked by a relative, resulting in a broken lens, when he tried to take photographs of the event.

He said he moved aside with the broken equipment "to avoid exacerbating the situation".

Other media photographers were taking photographs of Aizuddin carrying his equipment when he was punched, he said in his police report.

He declined to be interviewed by Malaysiakini .