Mumbai: Allegedly tired of being repeatedly yelled at by her son, a 78-year-old woman attempted suicide at her Goregaon home. Goregaon police registered an FIR against her son under Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act.This is the second incident in a week of a senior citizen being harassed by their child. TOI had on Wednesday reported about a 73-year-old Dahisar resident being assaulted by his son over a property dispute, which left both his legs fractured.Shanti (name changed) lives in a joint family comprising her 91-year-old husband, her 57-year-old daughter who is unmarried, her 59-year-old son, his wife and their two children at Goregaon. Her second son, who is 50, resides on the upper floor of the house with his wife and two kids. Shanti works in the packaging unit of a factory. She and her daughter are the only earning members in the household. Her older son is unemployed and an alcoholic. The FIR said he often picked fights with Shanti and her husband over trivial issues.Shanti and her daughter would complete all household chores before going to work. On May 23, around 7am, Shanti was filling water for the day when her older son started yelling at her for “ruining his life”. He hurled expletives at her and asked her to move out of the house. Shanti was shaken and asked him to stop fighting as the day had just begun. She retired to another room to take rest. Her husband confronted their older son, but he yelled back at him.Later, Shanti left for work without a word to anyone. She borrowed Rs 500 from her employer and asked for a day off under the pretext of having guests at home. She used the money to purchase rat poison.On May 25, while her daughter was away for a medical checkup, Shanti mixed the rat poison with water and consumed it. Soon, she started to throw up. When her daughter returned home, she rushed Shanti to a private hospital. Shanti was admitted in the ICCU and treatment was started. An FIR was lodged against her older son the next day.Activist Sailesh Mishra, who runs a non-profit for welfare of senior citizens, said domestic harassment of senior citizens is not uncommon in Indian homes, but the elderly hesitate to lodge a complaint. “There is shame associated with talking about abuse. At times, police may also advise the family to settle the matter,” Mishra said. He added that more awareness should be created on the legal consequences of harassing or abusing a senior citizen. “Housing societies also have a responsibility towards a senior citizen in distress. Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act has a clause where police can take action suo motu,” he said.