Dharna

Dharna \DAHR-nuh\ , noun;
1. In India, the practice of exacting justice or compliance with a just demand by sitting and fasting at the doorstep of an offender until death or until the demand is granted.

So this is like the ole, "I'm gonna hold my breath until you buy me a pony, Mom" routine?

This word dates to the 1790's and comes from Hindi dharnā ("placing, act of sitting in restraint") which derives from Sanskrit dhrr ("to place").

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Tuesday, January 25
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com