"Who began the mischief? You have to say," Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters.
The government's new rules to regulate digital content require social media giants to disclose "first originator" of a post that is found objectionable or offensive.
In rules set to change how tech giants like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter operate in India, unlawful content can be blocked by the government even though the Information and Broadcasting minister says there will be safeguards.
For any posts inimical to the country's sovereignty, integrity, national security, public order or sexually explicit, social media sites have to disclose who started it.
"Who began the mischief? You have to say," Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters while announcing the rules.
Social media platforms will also be required to have a provision for voluntary verification of users, Mr Prasad said.
They will have to appoint India-based compliance officers. If they remove content, they will be required to inform users, give reasons for taking down their post and hear them out.
The rules, which make traceability of the originator of messages a must on prominent social media sites, goes against end-to-end encryption on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal.
Asked whether this could count as a violation of privacy or a breach of the encryption rule, Mr Prasadi said: "We are not asking the company to give us the content of the platform. We are simply asking who and where the post has originated from. Simple."
"Significant social media" - defined by a larger user base - will be given three months to establish a mechanism before the rules kick in.
Digital streaming and social media platforms must have a grievance redressal system, the rules say.
Mr Prasad said though the government "welcomed criticism and the right to dissent", it was important for users to have a forum to raise complaints about misuse of social media.
"There should not be double standards. If there is an attack on Capitol Hill and social media supports police action but if it involves the Red Fort, you don't then it is double standards. That is unacceptable," said the minister.
A grievance officer will be required to register the complaint within 24 hours and address it within 15 days.
"If there are complaints against the dignity of users, particularly women - about exposed private parts of individuals or nudity or sexual act or impersonation etc - they will be required to remove that within 24 hours of a complaint. This is designed to respect the dignity of women," said the Minister.
Social media sites have to appoint a nodal contact person based in India for 24X7 coordination with law enforcement agencies. A resident grievance officer and a monthly compliance report are also in the new rules.
On OTT (Over The Top) platforms, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the government would have a three-stair mechanism.
"OTT and digital news media will have to disclose their details. We are not mandating registration, we are seeking information. There should be a grievance redressal system. OTT platforms will have to have a self-regulating body, headed by retired Supreme Court or High Court judge or very eminent person in this category," the minister said.